The Ohio State University announced Friday it is vacating all 12 of its victories from the 2010 football season and placing itself on two years' probation in the wake of a scandal that cost coach Jim Tressel his job.

Tressel resigned under pressure after it was revealed he had lied to National Collegiate Athletic Association officials investigating allegations that Ohio State players had received special benefits from local businesses in Columbus, Ohio.

Several players, including star quarterback Terrelle Pryor, allegedly swapped team and personal memorabilia and equipment for tattoos and other benefits. Tressel became aware of the transactions, which violate NCAA rules, but did not report them on a form all coaches are required to submit.

Five players were suspended for the first five games of the upcoming season.

"We are fully cooperating with the NCAA, and we look forward to working together to bring a resolution to these current matters," Athletics Director Gene Smith said in a written statement.

The self-imposed sanctions are contained in the university'sÂ formal response to the NCAA's Notice of Allegations received April 21. The NCAA could impose its own punishment, which could be more severe.

Tressel and the university also announced they had agreed to recharacterize his departure as a retirement rather than a resignation.

"I take full responsibility for my mistakes that have led to the ongoing NCAA inquiry and to scrutiny and criticism of the football program," Tressel said in the university's press release. "I am grateful for this opportunity to retire from the university that I so deeply respect and that I will continue to support."

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Appleseed

As a Wolverine whose school has also suffered NCAA sanctions, I take no joy in the troubles of Ohio State. Let Buckeyes and Wolverines alike work with their schools to bring them back where they should be and to restore the luster to the greatest rivalry in college football.

Only if Tressel followed what the Hogs did back in '77. Lou Holtz and the Hogs were matched-up to face the 2nd ranked Oklahoma Sooners in the Orange Bowl. And just like for Tressel, Holtz had some star players get in some hot water. The Hogs starting running back Ben Cowins, top receiver Donny Bobo, and second-team running back Michael Forrest got in trouble for a dorm room incident involving a woman. Even though the 10-1 Hogs would have loved to have those players on the sidelines in such a big game, Coach Holtz did what was right. He left those three stars back in Fayetteville and traveled with players that did everything the right way.

The Hogs came into the game as 18-point underdogs, but it didnâ€™t show. Arkansas had its way with their neighbor to the west and won convincingly, 31-6.

It's going on in most sports. The corruption starts at the biddy league level (coaches and parents with favoritism or letting a kid play that's too young/old and etc) and winds it's way up through high school, (where the kids get involved with receiving free gifts and etc. because they are on the high school football team etc) and then into college and the pro's where it finally get's noticed because they are now subject to so much public scrutiny that they weren't subject to at the lower levels of play. Just watch the movie or TV series "Friday Night Lights". I know it's fiction but there's a lot of truth behind it too. Some of that crap you just can't make up...ya know. This type of player/coach misconduct will continue and is on going today at all levels. I know that in my area, one of the coach's are going to teachers and getting them to let the kids in their classes "cut class" because the coach feels the student/athlete needs to be in the gym lifting weights for football instead of getting an education. I've been told, by teachers, that the coach has approached other teachers to get student / athletes grades changed so they will be eligible for the season the following year. This goes on yet the OSHAA will not take calls or do anything about it unless you are a coach or some administrator from a school. As we see from Jim Tressel's actions, coaches don't tell on themselves unless they think they are screwed! The American people put sports before most everything. Our schools are in a state of crisis and people are screaming they need more school funding. Books are falling apart or are completely out dated and student learning toolsare out dated to non existent, yet the sports teams has state of the art equipment. Don't get me wrong, I'm a football / sports fan but I believe in education first. It's ridiculous!

Oh yes they did. You saw it. I saw it. Lots of folks saw it. OSU simply vacated the wins to appease the NCAA. The record may not reflect the win but the game we all saw will. Remember, this wasn't an issue of player elegibility. This was a violation of moneetary gain. That didn't give OSU a step up on anyone when they took the field. The better team won that day.

Comical reply @My2Sense4U. Five players who were rightfully ineligible played that day. The tOSU team that we all "saw" with our own eyes was not a lawfully comprised team. So, if you want to say that a team made up of players who were not rightfully on the roster defeated an SEC team but had the win vacate, fine by me, but you and I both know that tOSU is yet to record a victory over an SEC team. Sorry, but its true.

What a lot people forget is the impact these types of violations have on other schools. So, let's say that OSU vacates its wins, which is the same as saying that the teams they beat now have that as a win on their 2010 record. What if that additional win would have changed the bowl game that they would have gotten selected for? It impacts that school's revenue, recruiting, etc.

Until players are held financially accountable for the problems they cause this will not stop. If USC vacates its Bowl Game victory & National Championship then then USC should pay back its bowl game money to either the BCS or the bowl itself. Then USC should sue Reggie Bush for that loss of revenue that HE CAUSED.

These clowns screw over their schools and it never, ever impacts them because they've already moved on.

ABSOLUTELY!!!! No one's mentioned the bowl money that these schools received. Instead of punishing the current players at any school that had nothing to do w/ infractions, punish the SCHOOL and make them repay the bowl monies received.

Get the story right dummy, he did not resign under pressure,Gene Smith made that statement, it wasn't bussinesses, it was one buissness. This is stuff that belonged to the kids,and they should have have the right to sell it if they want. If the ncaa doesn,t want them to sell it, then don't give it to them. That's like giving your kids cigarretts and tell them "don't smoke them" I think they should sue the ncaa.

Oh big frickin deal!!! The NCAA will go after anything that the players do regarding money, but they won't admit that the BCS system is in place to generate them millions of dollars in extra revenue. Bunch of hypocrites...

No one forces these kids to come to college and starve, or go without money as many of you suggest. These kids, atleast most of them, use college to get to the pro level. These kids broke the rules, plan and simple. Why do people muddy the water with excuses. Poor, black, whatever! They broke the rules, and now they must answer for it. I love college football, and the NCAA and the schools do make a lot of money, but without the money, the same poor black and white kids everyone is crying for wouldn't be playing football and getting free educations, so what's your point?

@CSinSC:
Thank you.
I see the Troll Brigade is out in force.
This is my first post today.

OSU deserves whatever they get.
That said, @Jillian, students always need spending money.
Doesn't everyone?
If you went to college, even with all expenses paid, didn't you have a few bucks in your pocket for sh!ts and giggle purchases?

The problems at tOSU run deep and they go back, certainly, all the way to the days of Maurice Clarett and Sammy Maldanado. Since Mr. Tressel swings his bible around and because the denizens of Columbus are predisposed to turn a blind eye to cheating when the end result is wins, the head coach got away with plenty during his reign. One need only look at his Division I-AA problems to know the character of the man. The same man who allegedly rigged tOSU camp raffles under coach Cooper. Slime ozzes from every pore of The Ohio State University. Both Gene Smith and Gordon Gee should lose their jobs over this.

Illuminati is correct. If I recall correctly, the phone call that Clarett made to the cops, which ultimately wound up getting him caught for falsifying reports or whatever he was charged with in that particular incident, originated from Tressel's office.

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